Temperate

The cougar is a large species of felid that lives in the forests, mountains, grassland, deserts and scrubland of Canada, the USA, Mexico, and all of South America. The cougar is also commonly known as the puma and the mountain lion. The cougar has sandy coloured fur, thick legs and a thick tail, a broad head with rounded ears, a white muzzle and dark tear marks coming down from the eyes. Male cougars have a head-body length of 120 to 200cm, a height of 60 to 90cm at the shoulder, a tail length of 63 to 95cm and weigh between 53 and 100kg.

The California Sea Lion is a species of eared seal native to the coastal regions of the Western USA and Mexico. This sea lion is usually dark brown in colour with paler coloration on the sides and belly, although some females are pale brown in colour. Young pups are different in appearance, possessing a juvenile coat that is tan and fluffy, which they lose for their adult coat when they are between 5-7 months old. Male California sea lions measure 2.25 to 2.5m in length and weigh 250 to 350kg. Females are much smaller, measuring 1.8 to 2.1m and weighing 80 to 100kg.

The American alligator is a large species of crocodilian that lives in the rivers, swamps, marshes and wetlands of the Southern USA and Mexico. American alligators may be dark green, brown or grey in colour. They have a broad rounded head with a large gape and many teeth, of which some can be seen protruding externally. The body of the American alligator is broad, with several raised ridges of scales running down their back. Their legs stick out laterally and they move close to the ground but will raise themselves off the ground when running.

The African penguin is a flightless bird that inhabits the coastline and islands of South Africa and Namibia. The African penguin has a black back and flippers, black feet and a black face ‘mask’ with white surround. It also has a white torso with a black strap across the upper chest. The eyes of the African penguin are surrounded by pink patches which are used in thermoregulation. Each penguin has a unique pattern of black spots on its chest. African penguins are 60 to 68cm in size and weigh between 2.2 and 3.5kg. Males are slightly larger than females and have a longer beak.

The Northern diamondback terrapin is a small species of turtle that lives in the brackish and coastal swamps of the Eastern and Southern United States of America. It is characterized by its distinctive shell pattern of interlocking ‘diamonds’ that tend to have concentric light and dark rings within them. However, pattern and coloration does vary within the species. The average shell length of males is 13cm, whereas the average shell length of the female is 17cm.

The Atlantic grey seal is a species of marine mammal that lives around the landmasses of the Atlantic Ocean (UK, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Denmark, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Canada, USA). Western Atlantic grey seals are significantly larger than the Eastern Atlantic morph. Their males measure between 2.3 and 2.9m in length and weigh 205-370kg, while females measure between 1.9-2.3m in length and weigh 160-250kg.

The eastern blue-tongued lizard, or eastern blue-tongued skink is a species of reptile that lives in the woodland, scrubland and semi-desert areas of Australia. They are broad and squat animals, with a triangular head and a thick tail. It has various colour morphs but typically has tan, beige and black scales arranged in a striped pattern. As its name suggests, it has a bright blue tongue. Adult eastern blue-tongued lizards are between 45 and 60cm in length.

The red kangaroo (or Macropus rufus) is a large species of marsupial mammal that lives throughout Australia, found everywhere except coastal regions and rainforests. Red kangaroos have large L-shaped back legs and small arms, large rabbit-like ears and a long face with a blunt snout. They are a sexually dimorphic species, meaning the males and females look different; the former being significantly larger, standing between 1.3 and 1.6m tall, with a 1.3m long tail, and weighing between 55 and 90kg; the latter are smaller, standing 0.85 - 1.05m tall and weighing 18 to 40kg.

The dingo (or Canis lupus dingo) is a large species of canid that lives throughout Australia. With sandy-coloured fur, a white underside, pointed ears and a long, blunt snout, the dingo is skinny in appearance, averaging between 52 and 60cm in height and measuring 1.2 to 1.5m long. They weigh between 14 and 19kg, with males being slightly larger than females. They are opportunistic predators but also scavengers, resulting in a varied diet of mammals, birds, reptiles, carrion, fruit and vegetables.

The Queensland koala bear (or Phascolarctos cinereus) is an arboreal marsupial that lives in the eucalyptus forests of Eastern Australia. They have grey to brown fur, stocky limbs with dexterous claws, rounded fluffy ears, and a face with a bulbous black nose. They are a sexually dimorphic species, meaning the males are significantly bigger than the females; Queensland koalas are between 60 to 75cm long, with males weighing between 4.2 and 9.1kg, and females weighing 4.1 to 7.3kg. Both sexes feed almost exclusively on eucalyptus leaves.